"Artillery, on my command-fire!" Varian Wrynn was utterly calm.
The cannons had long since been loaded, and their trained crews aimed at Onyxia and fired.
Every cannon fired at once, sending specially made shells hurtling toward Onyxia. She was unprepared, and the cramped space left her no room to dodge effectively. Only one shell missed; all the others slammed into her. Some struck her tail, driving it back mid-sweep, while most blasted into her body, riddling it with wounds.
Of course, with so little room in the passage, they had been able to position no more than ten cannons, even with the rows staggered.
Onyxia naturally wanted to retaliate, but Jaina and Aegwynn, two of Azeroth's foremost archmages, had jointly woven a powerful magical shield in front of everyone, forcibly blocking her attack.
Yet at that moment, Onyxia revealed her true power as a legendary dragon.
Why were Onyxia and her brother Nefarian stronger than other dragons, reaching legendary status sooner, when they were all descendants of the five Dragon Aspects?
Because they had fallen. Corrupted by the whispers of the Old Gods, they had gained power that did not belong to the Dragon Aspects. That dark power had strengthened both their bodies and their magic.
What they excelled at now was not merely Dragon Magic, but also... Dark Magic!
"Know fear, pitiful humans! Crawling vermin! Eternal ants!" Onyxia gave a low roar, and a terrifying wave of psychic magic swept through the entire lair. No creature could shut out its influence, and intense fear rose in their hearts.
Even Jaina was affected. Her lapse caused the magical shield she and Aegwynn had woven together to collapse, while everyone behind them was assailed by fear. To varying degrees, they became frightened and terrified, and the weaker-willed warriors even turned and